The focus of my Social Justice ePortfolio is to examine the offerings of the Clifton Public Library located in Clifton, NJ and how they serve the Immigrant population in their community. This page will focus on the existing needs of the immigrant population in Clifton, New Jersey.
*ALL TEXT IN BLUE ARE HYPERLINKS
Social Justice Context: Environment and Setting
The city of Clifton, New Jersey as of 2021 has an 87% citizenship rate. This sits just below the national average which is 93.4% ( DataUSA, 2021). Although 87% is up from 2020 it is still below the national average which means that we have more people than average that are in need of assistance and direction when it comes to acquiring US Citizenship. As of 2021 36.5% of the population in Clifton was foreign born, the national average is 13.6 %. That number however is decreasing every year. The city of Clifton does not have a dedicated organization that helps its residents navigate citizenship. Neighboring towns however, do offer services.
Social Justice Agency/ Organization Profile: Who + What?
The agency that I have selected is the Clifton Public Library located in Clifton, New Jersey and governed by the city of Clifton. However, the library Director answers to a board of trustees that is made up of 12 members that includes the library director. The library has three departments, the children's department, reference department and circulation department. There is also a smaller Allwood Branch library that has a circulation department, children's department and reference librarian. Between both the Main Library and Allwood Branch there are around 50 staff members. As far as its offerings for the immigrant population it is very few if any. There was a program in April that highlighted the book ""An Immigrants Guide: Important resources to Success in the USA" by author Trinidad DeLa Rosa. Although this program did help shed light on the issue it was not enough. The library also offered a conversation club for ESL speakers however the program has not been active in at least 3 years. In a study done by Keren Dali for the Canadian Journal Of Library and Information Science she states that when polled only around 60% of people born outside of the United States have ever visited a library (Dali, 2021). When programs like those for ESL speakers and Immigrant populations stop being provided it contributes to these low numbers.
Social Justice Agency/ Organization Profile: Existing How?
The Clifton Public Library's Mission Statement is "to enrich lives through discovery, learning, entertainment, and accomplishment of tasks essential to everyday living". Their Vision statement states "The Clifton Public Library aspires to be a welcoming resource for the community's rich and diverse population throughout their lives". This to me means that they will focus on making sure that all community members, including those from diverse backgrounds will receive adequate resources and help from the library to enrich their everyday lives.
VALUES, AIMS
The Clifton Public Library aims to encourage and develop literacy in all forms as well as to provide a quiet space for studying and gathering. They want to provide professional and friendly assistance to all and make it an inviting space where everyone feels included.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Clifton Public Libraries goals and objectives is to encourage and develop literacy in all its forms. They plan to accomplish this through early childhood literacy programs and service. They also plan to collaborate with community groups to co-sponsor programs for literacy. Another goal of the library is to address the cultural, intellectual and social needs within the community and aims to help the diverse population.
STRATEGIC PLAN
The last strategic plan (Clifton Public Library, 2019) that was adopted by the Clifton Public Library was on July 21, 2021 and covers August 2021-December 2022.
HOW DOES THE AGENCY/ORGANIZATION MEASURE SUCCESS
The Clifton Public Library measures their success based upon whether or not the needs of the community are being met. If all of the needs of the community are being met and they can provide a safe space with friendly assistance to all then they have succeeded.
SOURCES
1. Clifton Public Library.(2019). Strategic Plan.https://cliftonpl.org/strategic-plan/
2. Dali, K. (2021). Learning about immigrant and migrant readers, transforming libraries: Spanish-speaking readers in North America. The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science / La Revue canadienne des sciences de l’information et de bibliothéconomie, 44(2-3), 68–100. https://doi.org/10.5206/cjilsrcsib.v44i2.14075
3. DataUSA.(2021). DataUSA: Clifton, NJ. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clifton-nj#:~:text=As%20of%202020%2C%2037.6%25%20of%20Clifton%2C%20NJ%20residents%20(,the%20rate%20has%20been%20increasing.